Edge of Heaven
by Sharem
Summary: Mass Effect/Firefly, FemShepard. Post BDM, Post ME3 - Reapers are gone. An explosion in the Normandy's core sends Shepard and Alenko to an alternate reality...What will Mal do with two new crewmembers who are more than they seem? Rating may change in future
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything of Mass Effect (aside from the copy of the game) and Firefly (Joss Whedon owns that… I just have the series and the movie on DVD)

AN: Well, this idea wouldn't leave me and I have the REALLY bad habit of starting something that I don't finish. However, I do intend to finish this and most of my other stories… providing I can get the inspiration to.

Anyway, this is a crossover between Firefly (one of my favorite Television shows, even though they never had a full season aired) and Mass Effect, one of the best video games I have ever played, aside from Final Fantasy VII. This story will be set after the events of the movie Serenity and after the ending for Mass Effect. In this story, it will be assumed that the Reapers from the game will have been destroyed. The Shepard from Mass Effect will be a female with the colonist/war hero background and will be a Vanguard, a biotic warrior with a specialization in sniper rifles and her name is Hana. I know that you can choose only one in the game, but I'm also going to have my Shepard with electronics and decryption for the story. As for pairings, I'm not sure yet…but there will be some romance in this…just not with Kaiden and Shepard. In here, their relationship will be of a brother/sister type… you know, biotics sticking together.

On the Firefly side of this story, yes, both Book and Wash will remain dead. I'm not sure about how to portray Inara, but I will be keeping her in the story as a Companion is needed. River will be essential to the storyline but that will be seen as the chapters go on.

And now, on to the story…

**Edit 12 March 2012**: I will be editing some of the chapters to reflect Mass Effect 3 and the effects/actions that Hana Shepard took to defeat the Reapers.

* * *

**Edge of Heaven**

**Prologue**

* * *

A woman around the age of 32 stopped in front of a window that was showing some sort of news broadcast. She ran a hand through her short reddish-brown hair for a moment, listening to what the woman on the screen was saying.

"_These are just a few images we've recorded. As you can see, it isn't what we thought. There's been no war here and no terraforming event. The environment is stable."_

There were a few gasps from some people on the street, watching the same broadcast as her. Idly, she fingered the pistol hidden under the cloak she was wearing. She wasn't surprised that a government was willing to hide something that could potentially tear said government down. Especially with what she considered a corrupt government as this Alliance. She heard familiar footsteps come up behind her and she turned to see a dark haired man, dressed similarly as her, come up.

"We're good to go, Commander…I found a couple of jobs for us on a cargo ship leaving for Persephone in about thirty minutes."

The woman sighed and looked at the window screen once more. "Alenko, we're no longer in our own ship, let along our 'Verse. You don't have to call me Commander until we find a way back home."

_"It's the Pax. The G-23 Paxilon Hydrochlorate that we added to the air processors. It was suppose to calm the population, weed out aggression."_

"What's going on, Com…Shepard? People all around are acting funny…"

"SHH!" Shepard hissed at her lieutenant. "Something's going on here and I want to hear that broadcast."

_"Well, it works. The people here stopped fighting. And then, they stopped everything else."_

Shepard narrowed her brown eyes. She figured out that someone must have gotten a hold of some classified information and decided to do the right thing and let everyone know about it…

_"They stopped going to work. They stopped breeding, talking, eating. There are thirty million people here, and they all just let themselves die."_

Kaiden watched his commanding officer's face and was surprised by the anger he saw there. Then he realized why; it was because of the broadcast that was currently showing on the window screen of the shop they were in front of. He saw the woman in the broadcast look over her shoulder a few times and he saw the look of fear in her eyes.

_"I have to be quick. About a tenth of the population had the opposite reaction to the Pax. Their aggressive response increased beyond madness. They have become…well, they've killed most of us. And not just killed…they've done things."_

"My god," Kaiden whispered softly, only Shepard hearing his soft words. "What kind of people inhabit this 'Verse?"

_"I…won't live to report this, but people have to know."_

Shepard closed her eyes. It was almost like Admiral Kahoku and Cerberus all over again. She heard the mental pain the woman was obviously feeling. It was nearly overwhelming…

_"We meant it for the best…to make people safer…"_

She opened her eyes again and now saw the raw fear in the woman's eyes. Kaiden watched the broadcast as well, his own heart pounding hard in his chest. Both of them took in a sudden deep breath at what happened next.

_"Oh GOD!"_

The woman on the screen screamed out loud and pulled out a pistol, firing it a few times before trying to shoot herself in the head. That was when it was pulled away from her by a couple of people with madness in their eyes. Her screams turned to shrieks as she was practically pulled apart before the broadcast went dark.

"Shepard…Hana…we need to go before that ship leaves," the dark haired man replied softly, gently shaking his companion.

Shepard shook her head for a moment, trying to free her mind from the disturbing images she had just seen. She then turned to look at her friend and fellow officer. "Okay," she answered slowly as she was led away from the window and towards the docks on Greenleaf. "Remember, we don't.."

"We don't show off our biotic abilities and not to let others get a close look at our weapons," Alenko finished, a small smirk appearing on his face. "I know the drill, _Commander_." Mentally, he laughed at the look on her face when he called her using her rank instead of her name. "However, once I get a hold of the ship's computer terminal, I'm going to see if I can get some more info on this government's Alliance."

"They call it a cortex here, Kaiden. We need to learn to use more of their slang to fit in better. Do you want to run into those creeps again back on Ariel?"

Kaiden shuddered. "No, I don't. I guess I'll also try to pull up some Chinese while I'm at it…"

When they got closer to the docks, the woman tilted her head to one side to look at her fellow biotic. "So, what sort of jobs did you get for us? I am not going to look after a bunch of illegal dolls again…"

Alenko chuckled for a moment. "Well, the ship needed a pilot and a hired gun. So, I'm the pilot and well, you're the hired gun. You're a crackshot, ma'am, with the sniper rifle and you've never missed before…But to let you drive or even pilot? Every time you drove the Mako, you always have a knack in crashing it…"

"HEY! It's not MY fault that it landed upside down!" The pair continued to bicker like siblings all the way down to the docks...

**XXXX**

_**2 weeks later…**_

Mal sighed as he entered the kitchen area of _Serenity_ and grabbed a glass of water. He wanted something stronger, but the ship didn't currently have any alcohol and Kaylee's engine hooch wasn't ready yet. He sat down at the table and began to ponder on the recent events. Both Wash and Shepard Book was dead and it hurt. He was surprised by the amount of pain he was feeling. He missed Wash's comments, especially when they were at Jayne's expense and the fact he did view Wash as a brother, and Book's gentle words and wisdom. He closed his eyes and let himself wallow in his misery for a little while.

"The Shepard and the Brother are coming."

Mal opened his eyes quickly and frowned when he saw River standing there, her eyes staring at him. "No they ain't, albatross. They're dead, remember?" he harshly remarked, anger rushing in.

River gave him a cryptic smile as she ignored his tone. "Not them, Captain Daddy. The 'Verse brought new ones to fill the void. They are both Leaves needing the Wind to take them home. There, they will find the serenity they both yearn."

The older man stared at the teen girl. "What the hell do you mean?"

"Not only are they the Shepard and the Brother, they are also the Spectre and the Sentinel. They are broken, like me, but they are stronger than they appear…Nothing in the 'Verse can stop them…"

**XXXX**

**Sharem**: Well, this plot bunny wouldn't leave the mess I call my mind so I had to get it out, so to speak. Updates will be erratic at best…if time permits, I will try to keep regular updates but don't count on it. And if anyone would like to beta, please let me know. Also, thanks to **worldShifter** for inspiring me to get my Mass Effect/Firefly crossover started.


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: Bioware and Microsoft owns Mass Effect and Joss Whedon is the genius who created and owns Firefly.

**AN**: This will be the last time that I'll be putting an author's note in the beginning of a chapter. From here on out, any and all authors notes will be done at the end of the chapter, unless it's something about the chapter (or something that needs to be said).

* * *

**Edge of Heaven**

**Chapter 1**

* * *

**_Four months after Miranda…_**

"_Gorrammit_!" Mal exclaimed loudly as he sat down at the dining table, slamming his plate on the surface. "Kaylee…tell me I ain't heard you right…"

Kaylee sighed as she absently pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "You're hearin' me right, Cap'n. Unless we get a new compression coil, we ain't leavin' Persephone. _Serenity_ is hurting and we need a new one, not rebuilt or was taken from the junkyard."

"We just don't have the money, _mei-mei_, for a new one." Mal grumbled more as he ate his meal, a mash of protein that was suppose to taste like oatmeal. "I thought that those Alliance guys helped us fix her proper."

Before Kaylee could say anything more, Zoe came in from the bridge, a pensive look on her face. It had been two months since Miranda and the death of Zoe's husband, Wash. She was still taking it hard and it was apparent with the dark circles under her eyes. The tall black woman saw that it was only the captain and Kaylee at the table as she motioned to get Mal's attention.

"Just got a wave from Badger, sir," Zoe stated. "He said that he has a job for us."

"_O, zhè zhen shì ge kuaìlè de jìnzhan_," Mal muttered sarcastically before looking up at his First Mate. "Zoe, you know nothin' good comes from that _hundan_…"

"I know that, sir, but he said he's willing to pay triple his normal rate with half up front. We NEED the money to get _Serenity_ up flyin' again." The tall woman crossed her arms in front of her chest and a slight glare on her face. It was as if she was daring the captain to contradict her words.

Mal stood up from the table, his meal now forgotten. "Fine. Go round up Jayne and we'll jus' go and see what Badger wants…"

**XXXX**

Shepard was in a bar sitting in one of the dark corner tables of the establishment. She and Kaiden had been stuck on Persephone when the job they took on only lasted until planet-fall. She should have known that the captain of that ship wasn't on the up and up. That _hundan_, a word the Spectre started using more and more, kept on hitting on her, thinking that women were just playthings and not capable of handling a gun. She chuckled inwardly at the look on the man's face when she shot him in the leg.

"Well, it seems that something finally brought a smile to that face," Kaiden remarked as he sidled up to the darkened corner table and sat next to his friend.

She ran a hand through her short auburn hair and chuckled. "I was just thinking of the look on Captain Hastings' face when he realized I shot his leg…" Shepard sighed as she slumped a little more in her seat. "At least he paid us…took for you to threaten that pervert with your pistol, though…"

"It seems to me that this 'Verse is more mercenary than the one we're from, ma'am," Kaiden remarked as he watched a couple of rough looking men begin to argue about something. "Also, I never thought I'd see such a dichotomy between the so-called classes of people. I almost feel like I went back in time a few hundred years if it weren't the fact that these people have space travel."

"Exactly…and what happened to women being as equal as men?" Shepard remarked as a drunk came over and propositioned her. She pulled out her pistol and aimed it at the unfortunate man. "You best be leaving or else you'll be getting a mighty fine view of my gun being rammed down your pathetic throat." The drunkard staggered away, a look of fear mixed in with anger on his face.

"Ma'am… don't you think that was a little extreme?" the Sentinel asked and sighed when his friend shook her head. "Anyway, I think we may have a job lined up. That pathetic little man, Badger I think was his name, said that he believes that he knows of a ship that may hire us. They had lost a couple of their crew and need a new pilot. Hopefully, they will need your crackshot skills we well."

Shepard picked up the glass that was on the table and finished the contents quickly. "So where will we meet the captain of this ship?"

"Here. Badger knows that we come to this bar often…Uh…ma'am?" Kaiden queried when he noticed the drunk had returned with about seven of his buddies, all of them armed. "Uh…your 'suitor' has returned…"

The drunk had a nasty smile on his face as he sneered at Shepard and faced Alenko. "If'n I were you, pretty boy, I'd saves y'self a heap 'o trouble and gimme yer woman, _dong ma_? She looks ta be mighty fine an' probably is a good lay…"

Kaiden saw the darkening expression on Shepard's face and knew that he should at least try to avoid as much trouble as possible. "Shepard…"

"Excuse me?" the Spectre asked in a deadly whisper. "Do you think that I'd be willing to go off with a lowlife like you? I don't think so."

The drunk leered at her even more. "Ya got no choice in the matter, sweetheart. Ya is gonna be entertainin' me and my friends here…"

Kaiden began to rub his temples. That uncouth man was pushing his luck and the look on Shepard's face means that someone is going to getting hurt and soon.

"I am not property, you c_huin-zi_…" she started, standing up slowly.

"Shepard…calm down…" Kaiden tried to say something.

"No one touches me without my permission…" Shepard kept saying, ignoring her partner's plea. "And you DEFINITELY do NOT have my permission."

The drunk and his men pulled out their guns, causing everyone else in the bar to scramble and run out to try to get away. "I don' need permission ta touch ya, girlie. Women are only good fer one thing and yer gonna give it ta me an' my boys. You sex 'em up all proper and nice like or else I'm gonna make ya so ugly, no man would even dare touch ya."

Kaiden's sense of propriety was just offended by that man's words…but the Sentinel's brotherly instincts toward Shepard kicked in as he stood up as well, his hands balling into fists. He then just said four words to his friend. "Remember, no biotics ma'am…" That's when all hell broke loose…

**_Just a couple of minutes earlier…_**

"Is this the place?" Mal asked as he, Jayne, and Zoë stopped in front of a decent looking bar. "Why would Badger have us meet them people here?"

Zoe just shrugged as the three of them watched people enter and leave the establishment. "Badger knew that we needed a new pilot, even though we have River helping in that department. He said that he worked with this pilot before and that he was pretty good. I guess the only downside is that we have to hire the man's sister as well."

Mal cocked his head to one side. "_Shenme_?"

"He said that this Kaiden Alenko was a good pilot and his sister is even better'n Jayne here with guns…if a little temperamental."

"Hey! Are ya thinkin' of replacin' me?" Jayne exclaimed loudly. "We don't need another merc on the boat."

"No, Jayne, we ain't replacin' you," Mal sighed and shook his head. "This whole situation is a bit suspicious…if I remember right, Badger was mighty loose with his praises on those two. That man is up ta somethin'…"

"That's nothing new, sir," Zoe added. She was going to say something else when the sounds of a fight grew loud.

Suddenly, a dirty and drunk man was tossed through the window, causing the hologram over it to shimmer for a moment. A man with dark hair came running out and started to punch the drunk when three more men came out after him. He seemed to be able to hold his own for a little while but one of the men pinned him to the ground. That was when a woman with short reddish-brown hair rushed out of the bar, holding a somewhat strange looking gun at the drunk and the others.

"I think you'd be best letting my brother go." The tone of her voice sent chills down the spines of the people present. "I promise, I will not kill you, but I will make sure your stay in a medical facility will be long, arduous, and very, VERY painful…"

The drunk who had hit on her earlier sneered at her and laugh. "Ya got the drop on me 'n my boys, girlie, back inside when you and yer brother sent me through th' window and put four of my boys in a big hurt. But now, ya ain't got a chance…"

Shepard sighed and closed her eyes. "Don't say I never warned you…" she stated as she cocked her gun and fired four shots, each round hitting all four men in their left knees. This caused them to fall to the ground, crying out in pain and the three watchers to look at the woman in varying degrees of interest.

Mal stared at the woman, not even comprehending what just happened. That woman had shot those four men perfectly in their left kneecaps with her eyes closed. WITH HER EYES CLOSED, _GORRAMMIT_! For the captain of _Serenity_, this was all manner of creepifyin'…Zoe, on the other hand, let her hand finger the handle of her weapon, keeping a close eye on the woman as she helped her brother up. She wasn't going to take any chances that something still may happen.

"Shepard, did you have to show off like that?" Kaiden asked as he dusted the dirt off of his cloak.

The auburn haired woman shrugged as she holstered her weapon on her hip. "It seemed like a good idea at the time, dear brother," she answered flippantly, a small grin on her face.

Jayne couldn't keep his eyes off of the strange woman. She was nearly as strange as River, but the way she handled her gun, it made him stare at her. She was tall, but not nearly as tall as Zoe, dark brown eyes, and wearing loose pants and a brown jacket. All in all, he found her very…exciting. And then he heard what that strange man said… "What? Yer a shepherd?"

The woman turned to look at Jayne and scrunched up her nose. "Do I look like a man of the cloth?" she asked, raising an eyebrow and casting a disapproving glance at the much taller man. "My NAME is Shepard. And this man standing next to me is my older brother."

"_The Shepard and the Brother are coming."_

Instantly, River's words from four months again flooded Mal's brain. '_Was River talking about these two?_' he thought to himself as he looked at them…but the stance those two had…it was trying to make him recognize something…

"Let's get back inside," Kaiden said out loud, gently putting a hand on Shepard's shoulder to draw her back inside the bar. "Badger said that the captain of the ship is suppose to be arriving soon. Try to make a good impression this time, Shepard. I know you want to get up in the black…"

Shepard sighed as she allowed her friend and brother lead her back to the building. "Kaiden, it WASN'T my fault! So I shot the man in the arm and punched his wife on her nose…"

"Wait…hey, you two wait!" Mal exclaimed, hurrying after the two and stopping them from re-entering the bar. He looked at Kaiden directly in the eyes. "You wouldn' happen ta be Kaiden Alenko, would you, and this lovely lady is the sister?"

The dark haired man narrowed his eyes a bit. "Yes, I am. And this is my sister, Hana Shepard. Why do you ask?"

Mal let out a breath he didn't realize that he was holding. "I'm Captain Malcolm Reynolds and this is my First Mate, Zoe Washburne," he gestured to the tall dark-skinned woman and then jerked a thumb back at Jayne. "This here is Jayne Cobb. Don't pay him much mind. Badger had nothin' but good things to say about the both of you." He then held out his hand in a friendly gesture.

Before Shepard could say anything, Kaiden stepped up and shook the captain's hand. "Thanks…but I get the feeling you think the same of that weasel of a man as I do."

Mal chuckled loudly and gestured for Kaiden and Shepard to follow him, Zoe and Jayne into the bar. "I reckon we do. Anyways, Badger told us that you're a good pilot an' that's somethin' that we need. Why don't we talk all nice like about maybe hirin' you to pilot my ship, _Serenity_?"

"Sounds good to me," Kaiden answered with a small smile. His eyes flicked over to the two accompanying the ship captain, his eyes lingering a bit on Zoe, before returning to look at Mal. "One thing first, I most definitely won't take the job if my sister is not able to be hired as well."

Jayne got a little upset at that and Mal cut him off before the big man could say anything. "I say we can discuss that over a fine whisky…"

The tall merc rolled his eyes and broke away from the group. "If'n that's all yer all gonna talk about, I got some sexin' I need ta do and this bar don' look like it got any whores."

Shepard shook her head and had a look of disgust on her face as Jayne walked down the street and disappeared amongst the crowd. "I'd call him a pig, but that would be insulting all pigs everywhere…"

That caused Zoe to chuckle and Mal to laugh out loud. "I think we're going to get along just fine," Zoe remarked as she smirked at the slightly shorter woman. "Jayne is…a colorful…"

"Man-ape?" Shepard supplied, a matching smirk on her own face.

Mal laughed even more and grinned at the two supposed siblings. "Ya know… I think we'll get a long mighty fine." _And maybe…find out what story those two will share…they're hiding something… _

* * *

Sharem: Well, this was the meet and greet chapter of the story. Shepard's personality is a little skewed. Much of her personality in this story will from when her home colony of Mindoir was attacked by the Batarian slavers. Watching her friends and family either die or being captured would have had a major effect on her psyche. Also, she was tempered by the attack on Elysium when she single-handedly fought off the pirates and such from the Terminus Systems. She isn't fully Paragon or Renegade; she's somewhere in between. This will be revealed as the story develops, as will how she and Kaiden developed a sibling-type relationship.

* * *

Even though Mal seems to be mighty friendly with Shepard and Alenko, he is still suspicious of the two. The way they fought and their fighting stance is poking at the edges of his memory. Zoe's thoughts on this will come later as well. Any guesses on how River will react when she meets the two wayward souls?

**Words used**:

_mei-mei_ – sister

_O, zhè zhen shì ge kuaìlè de jìnzhan . . . _- "Oh, this is a happy development..."

_hundan_ – bastard

_dong ma?_ - understand?

_Chuin-zi_ – moron

_Shenme_ – what/excuse me


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer**: Mass Effect is owned by Bioware and Microsoft. Firefly is owned by Joss Whedon.

**AN**: This note is just to say thanks to NarcolepticNinja and Kurotakai for their reviews. Also, to explain something before going into this chapter. To me, a biotic is not only able to do things that would be considered telekinetic, but also they can speak to one another telepathically. So, I guess that both Kaiden and Shepard would be considered 'Readers' in this.

**AN pt 2**: I have recently finished playing ME2 a few times. What happened in the game will eventually be put into this story. So I will put in Spoiler alerts when warrented. That being said, there is a slight spoiler alert in this chapter for ME2…its when River scans Shepard's mind…

'_Thinking to oneself._'

_Mind-speak_ between Shepard, Alenko, and River

**Edge of Heaven**

**Chapter 2**

"That's your ship?" Kaiden as he stared up at the _Serenity_. "It's…uh…nice…"

_Commander, that thing doesn't look like she can fly_, he sent a thought over to Shepard. _She's definitely not the Normandy_.

Shepard rolled her brown eyes at her adopted brother and kept looking at the silvery ship. "It's more than nice, Kaiden. I think she's beautiful. Nothing like the _Norman-_…like my old ship. This one has character."

The captain of the _Serenity_ heard the slip that the woman made. He wondered what sort of ship she was talking about, but he did like the fact that she seemed to like his Firefly-class ship. "There's nothin' better 'n _Serenity_ in the 'verse" he remarked proudly as he glanced at the two possible new crewmembers. He led them up the ramp and into the _Serenity's_ cargo hold.

"This is the main cargo hold," Mal started to explain as he pointed out the large spacious area. "And that there's the Mule. We use her to haul cargo from time to time. And down through that door is the common area, the medical bay and passenger quarters…"

"_Hana! Hide in the barn, NOW!"_

"_Papa! NO!"_

Shepard stopped in the center of the cargo hold, her eyes widening for a moment when a memory of the past popped into her head. Why did that particular one have to come now? She then closed her eyes and willed the unwanted memory into the dark recesses of her mind… she cannot afford to lose control, not now, not ever…especially since she and her adoptive brother are in a place where things were more rough, more uncivilized…

"Hana? You okay?" Kaiden asked, a look of concern on his face as he gently touched her shoulder. "What happened?" Shepard looked at Alenko for a moment, a look of confusion on her face and then noticed that the Captain was looking at her strangely, as was the tall black woman, Zoe.

"Memories," the Spectre answered quietly as she made her way towards the medical bay, her action telling her Lieutenant that the subject was over, not to be discussed with their present company.

Mal watched the woman closely, something about her still pricking the edge of his consciousness. _I think she's hiding something_, he thought to himself as he watched the dark haired man follow his sister into the medical bay. He caught a look that his first mate was shooting him.

"They're good people," Zoe remarked. They then heard the future pilot of _Serenity_ talk to the ship's young doctor. It seemed that the newcomers were getting along pretty well with Simon Tam from the sounds of their conversation.

"I reckon that I agree with you, Zoe…but…"

"But it seems that they're hiding something, ain't they, Sir?" She chuckled at that and gave her Captain a small smirk.

Mal laughed slightly and sighed. "That's nothin' new when it comes to the crew…_tamade_…why can't we ever get normal ones?"

"Because then that'd make things out in the black boring…Sir…"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Shepard crossed her arms in front of her chest as Alenko began to discuss some medical things with the ship's doctor. The feeling she got from him was that he was very dedicated to being the medic on this little freighter and despite his misgivings about a certain crewmember, Doctor Tam seemed to be quite knowledgeable in his chosen craft…but she still missed Doctor Chakwas from the _Normandy_. She then just realized that the good doctor was speaking to her.

"Excuse me, Dr. Tam…can you repeat the question?" she asked, looking slightly embarrassed from her inattention.

Simon sighed and shook his head imperceptibly. "I asked if you have had any major diseases, surgeries, and injuries that I should be aware of. It's something that I need to know in case you join the ship."

The Spectre tapped her finger on her forehead for a moment, thinking on what to tell the young man. There were things that she knew she couldn't tell the man, but she knew there are things that she should say.

"Well, on my home, I did break a leg trying to help Papa break in a yearling colt, but that was when I was only eight years old…"

"Anything else?" Simon asked Shepard as he began writing things down on a notepad of sorts.

"I've been in a few scrapes and fights…once I fought a man who used a katana blade on me some years ago. Oh yeah, I can't forget that one bar incident when Kaiden was being harassed…"

"Ma'am…" Kaiden started, but his 'sister' kept on going, not realizing that he was trying to make her stop talking.

"…by a man who thought my brother was hom…er sly when we were on Greenleaf. I intervened and that man had the AUDACITY to try and throw a knife at me…"

"Shepard…" He tried again to interrupt her but nothing happened.

"… all it did was nick me on the shoulder. Then when that _hundan_ thought Kaiden was…"

"HANA!" the Sentinel shouted, causing Shepard to stop talking and stare at him with confusion. His face was slightly red with irritation and embarrassment as he smacked her lightly upside the head. "There's no need to bring THAT situation up…"

She pouted for a moment and looked away. "But it was funny."

Simon watched the two newcomers with amusement as they started to bicker like ten-year-olds. He smiled slightly at the site as it reminded him of how he and his sister River used to act like that before she was changed. He then realized that they stopped arguing and was giving him some of their medical history. Simon noted that both never had any major diseases and sicknesses, and aside from the various broken bones and scrapes, the two siblings were the picture of health. Something didn't seem to sit right, though…sometimes the scanner he was surreptitiously using on the pair would blink, indicating some foreign object was in their bodies.

River came bouncing into the medical bay and stopped when she saw Shepard and Alenko. Her eyes widened for a moment and took a step back. "You…you're actually here."

The Spectre turned to look at the slight girl and definitely felt something probe her mind and go into the memories that she got from the Prothean beacon and the cipher. And then she felt her memories of Mindoir and the Collector Station being scanned by the reader. "Ah shit," she whispered as the teenage girl's eyes widened even further.

"No..NO NO NO!" River screamed as she fell to the floor, her hand now clutching the sides of her head in a desperate manner. "Death…Destruction…NO!"

Simon immediately when to his sister with a syringe, not liking the frenzied motions the slight girl was doing. "Easy River, it's okay… nothing bad is going to happen," he whispered as he was about to inject her with a sedative. The syringe was then knocked out of his hands, but not by River. He turned to glare at the woman who did.

"She doesn't need a sedative," Hana answered, answering his glare with one of her own. "She's…experiencing memories that don't belong to her. Memories that should be mine and mine alone…"

Kneeling besides River, Shepard placed her hands on either side of the girl's head, forcing the other to look deep into her eyes. "River, these are my memories, my burden, and my burden alone."

"But…they are dark! The coming of the galaxy's end…"

"But they aren't in this 'Verse, little one," Kaiden answered, kneeling next to the two females. "They are…monsters from another time and definitely another place."

"Besides," Shepard whispered into River's ear, "I'm a Spectre, I won't let anything happen to you."

Kaiden stood up and let the commander comfort the teen and glanced over at the doctor. He noticed the glare the younger man was giving his adopted sister. "Shepard…has been through much pain and hardship, Doctor Tam. She can help your sister."

Simon cleared his throat and looked at the monitor. He was trying to get a sense of the readings that he took from the two newcomers, but some of them appeared to be off and others the computer just couldn't read properly. Before he could ask the older male, Mal and Zoe came storming into the med bay.

"What the hell just happened here?" Mal demanded, his hand on the handle of his gun as he spied Shepard comforting a shaken River and the mild glare Simon was giving Alenko.

The Spectre stood up and turned to face the captain, her eyes had a steely edge to them. "River is able to read minds," she stated instead of asked.

The ship's second in command put her hand on the handle of her shotgun, recognizing the look in the other woman's eyes. _This woman has seen battle_, Zoe thought to herself. Before she and Mal could draw their weapons, Shepard had her pistol out and trained onto the captain's forehead while Alenko had his on Zoe.

Taking a deep breath before putting her weapon back, Shepard turned around in order to help River stand back up. "You three are wondering how I know," she stated as she looked into the young teen's eyes. "Alenko, put your weapon away. It's not like they can get past you if you put your barriers up."

"Aye aye, Ma'am," the Sentinel answered as he holstered his pistol, his eyes keeping track of everyone's movements.

"River, why don't you go lie down for a while," Shepard suggested kindly. "Either Kaiden or I will check out your mind later to see if there are any lasting effects on you."

At this, Simon shook himself free from the paralysis that came over his body when the two strangers pulled out their weapons just mere moments ago. "What do you mean that you or your brother will check out River's mind? Are… are you from Bluesun?"

"Blue Sun? Now that's a laugh," Shepard chuckled, the sound having a cold quality to it. "No, we are definitely not a part of them, in this Verse or the next." She then straightened her back and fully faced Zoe, Mal and Simon. Alenko moved to stand slightly to her right, his stance the same as his former commanding officer.

"Captain Reynolds, hire my brother as your pilot and me as another one of your guns, we can assure you of at least one thing. River will be trained to be able to control her abilities." Shepard turned to look at the Sentinel. He nodded and then she took in a deep breath.

"Captain, Doctor Tam…we are biotics…it's what you would call Readers."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

**AN**: Well, I think that is a good place to end this chapter. And yes, I know it's been a long time since the last chapter was posted. I just didn't have too much inspiration the past few months and then I got Mass Effect 2. I imported my Hana Shepard into ME2 and her choices there will be reflected in this story…included the person she chose as her love interest in the game. Whether or not I keep him as Shepard's interest will depend on how this story will go. Clues to who that is will be seen in the coming chapters.


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer**: Mass Effect is owned by Bioware and Microsoft. Firefly is owned by Joss Whedon.

'_Thinking to oneself._'

Mind-speak between Shepard, Alenko, and River

**Warning**: Minor Mass Effect 2 spoiler in chapter.

**Edge of Heaven  
**

**Chapter 3**

Mal stared at the two newcomers as his hand was itching to pull out his gun. Biotics was a word he had never heard of before. And judging by the look on his first mate's face, he knew that Zoe never heard of biotics before as well. However, there was something that was very compelling about the woman in front of him, something that made him want to salute her.

"You're military," he stated, finally realizing what had been bothering him since he met this Shepard and Alenko. It was in the way they both stood, their strict discipline…the way they both handled their weapons.

"Not…quite," Shepard admitted, her brown eyes seemed to glow for a moment. "But rest assured, we mean you and your crew no harm. As long as we don't step foot on Ariel again, then we're fine."

Zoe kept her eyes trained on the duo, occasionally making glances at the dark haired male. He was in excellent shape and in a way, he reminded her of herself. The way he stood next to his sister, the way that he answered Shepard…It was as if this Shepard was his commanding officer.

"I can see that you have some questions," Shepard remarked, noticing the dark-skinned woman's perusal of Kaiden. "Well, probably a lot more than just some…but be aware that Kaiden and I will not able to answer some of them."

_Besides, they probably wouldn't believe that we're from another reality_, Kaiden thought to his adopted sister. _I didn't think that we'll have to explain biotics though_.

The Spectre shrugged imperceptibly. _Well, at least we will be able to help that girl River. Didn't you feel the taint on her mind? It felt like those creeps back on Ariel_.

"Hey, I know that you two are talkin' to one another," Mal replied tersely. "If you both are gonna be a part of _Serenity's_ crew, talk OUT LOUD, _dong ma_? No freaky mind-talking-to-each-other…thing! It's really creepifying."

Shepard raised an eyebrow at the ship's captain. "Does this mean…"

Zoe sighed and shook her head for a moment at Mal's outburst. "I think it does mean what you think," she answered for her captain.

"Yeah, well, we need a pilot, and we ain't too picky right now," Mal mumbled before glaring at the two. "You have two weeks to prove whether or not you get spaced."

"Been there, done that," Shepard remarked quietly, her eyes taking on a pained expression briefly before returning to a normal blasé countenance. Kaiden picked up on the minute visual clues and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. She glanced back at him that seemed to say 'Thank you'. Mal didn't miss the whole exchange, wondering if she really meant that she had been spaced…and for once, he kept his mouth shut.

***~*~*~*~*~*~*~***

**Three days later…**

"I'll tell ya again, you _xie biao zi_!" Jayne shouted, his hands banging on the table that both he and Shepard were using to clean their weapons. "Vera is the best! She's a Callahan full-bore auto lock with customized trigger double cartridge thorough gauge. So

I know I can count on her to do a job and kill a man right!"

Shepard narrowed her dark eyes at the much bigger mercenary and her hand itched to send a biotic shockwave into the man-ape's skull. "That's only good if you're going to be shooting at anything that moves, _feifei de piyan_!" she yelled back and then held up her weapon of choice. "This here is Jessie…she's an X-97 Viper class semi-automatic sniper rifle. She's been customized to be able to rip through nearly any type of armor and have minimum recoil WITH smart rounds to make head shots easier and more satisfying!"

Alenko watched the two adults bicker like children over what weapon was better with his head in between his hands, a headache becoming stronger by second. He looked up after he heard the name of Shepard's rifle with a look of disbelief on his face. "Good god, Hana, you named your sniper rifle after that piece of crap rifle Massani had?"

Shepard shrugged but did not turn around to look at her adoptive brother. "Zaeed may have been a son of bitch who would only watch your back if you paid him enough, but he knew anything and everything there was about weapons," she answered. There seemed to be a bit of fondness in her voice. "At least even with him, I KNEW where his loyalties after his mission to Zorya."

"You're never going to let me forget that part, are you," the Sentinel stated instead of asked.

"What do you think, Kaiden?" Hana asked, her eyes closing for a moment. "I may have forgiven you, but accusing me of betrayal is something that is very hard to forget."

Jayne stared at the woman he was arguing with just moments before and then at her so-called brother. The conversation started to take a weird turn and he was feeling left out. He had actually enjoyed arguing with Shepard about the finer points of weapons and debating what would be the best type of headshot. He had soon gotten over his initial dislike of the woman when he discovered their shared passion for explosions and weapons…especially the kind that caused the most damage. At first, he sort of wanted to see what she was like in bed, but then he realized that this woman could probably beat his ass from the Core worlds to the Rim and back…

"Hey, if you two are gonna talk about nonsense, I'm taking Vera back to my bunk," Jayne remarked testily as he started to gather his weapons and cleaning supplies. As he was about to leave the common area, Shepard gave him a parting shot.

"Remember to use protection on your rifle, Cobb, because even the spirits don't want to know where YOU'VE been!"

"_Qu ni de_, Shepard!" Jayne shouted out as he stomped back to his bunk.

"Only in your dreams, _chuin-zi_!" She laughed loudly as more curses came from the general area where the mercenary had gone. The laughter died down suddenly as she turned to stare at her sniper rifle and lightly caressed a mark engraved on the barrel.

Alenko stood up from where he was sitting and walked over to the table, placing a hand on his sister's shoulder and squeezed gently. "You miss him, don't you."

When she didn't answer him, he sighed. "You get some rest, Hana. It's my watch tonight up in the pilot's chair." The Sentinel gave her a quick hug and went up the stairs to the cockpit.

Shepard closed her eyes tightly and frowned as she thought about the man that she would more than likely never see again. Her chest ached as she kept the tears from forming…

"_Nobody would give me a mirror…how bad is it?"  
_"_Hell, Garrus, you were always ugly…slap a little facepaint on there and no one will ever notice."  
_"_Heh…Oh, don't make me laugh, damn it. My face is barely holding together as it is. Some women find facial scars attractive…mind you, most of those women are krogan._"

The memory made Shepard smile a bit before frowning once again. She made "Jessie" go into her compact size and started to gather her other weapons when she heard some slight footsteps come up behind her and felt a light touch on her mind. She held up her hand and pretended to fire a gun at the person.

"River, you're still a little noisy and if this was a battle situation, you would have been shot."

The slight teenager giggled softly and lightly danced around the table before staring Shepard in the eyes. "_Jieh-jieh_, raptor man wouldn't want you to dwell on past things."

Startled, the Spectre's eyes widened a fraction before narrowing her gaze. "And how would you know that, little one?" She sighed regretfully. "But…you're right, I think." She then quickly switched subjects. "Anyway, _mei-mei_, I'm going to give your lesson in the morning right after breakfast. You really need to learn to control your impulse in looking into another's brain."

River pouted and gave Shepard her 'You're such a boob' glare. "But I want to…"

_I KNOW what you want, River, but you do NOT have the control needed_, the older woman thought to the girl. _And giving me that puppy-dog expression may get Kaiden to be lenient on you_. River pouted. _Keep that pout up and I'll increase your training exercises to be a full hour instead of thirty minutes._

"Okay, _jieh-jieh_," River answered out loud, a small pout still on her face. Suddenly, a grin lit up her face. "I know someone who would be better for you anyway. No chafing!"

"RIVER!" Shepard cried out, throwing a piece of wadded cloth at the retreating and laughing girl. She growled, wondering how that little slip of a girl knew about the…chafing…

"What does that gorram girl mean by chafing?" Mal asked, leaning on the frame of the doorway, his gaze on the woman in front of him.

"None of your damn business, Reynolds," Hana answered irritably, putting her weapons and cleaning supplies in the bag she had used to bring them up. The captain of the _Serenity_ tended to get on her nerves more often than she liked. She just did not know how to talk to this man. She didn't think that they really had anything in common to talk about, not like Jayne and their mutual fascination with guns.

Mal shook his had and kept his gaze on the former Spectre, watching her movements within the common area. She had a grace that he didn't expect from someone like her. However, her personality went against his own and the two tended to argue constantly the past few days. She reminded him of his home planet of Shadow for some reason, but he immediately scratched that from his thoughts.

"Anything that goes on MY ship, Shepard, is my business," Mal grated out, teeth clenched.

"She was talking about something in my past, Reynolds…an EMBARRASSING part," Shepard answered, her dark eyes seemed to glow for a moment. "And it's NOT going to be brought up again." That last part was added when she saw the gleam in the Captain's eyes.

He coughed into his hand for a moment before crossing his arms across his chest. "We'll be at Kerry in about ten hours. That's where we're going to pick up the cargo Badger wants us to deliver to Beaumonde."

"You're telling me this why?" Shepard asked in a snarky tone as she placed her hands on her hips.

Mal shook his head and just gave her a mean look. "I'm telling this to you BECAUSE you're goin' with me and Zoe to the pick up point. I want to see what you can do, _dong ma_?"

The former Spectre gave Mal a sloppy, mock salute. "Aye aye, _Captain_ Reynolds." She mocked him and then picked up the bag with her cleaning supplies and some weapons and left for her room in the passenger dorms.

That woman was going to be the death of him, he knew it… but damn she was cute when angry. Mal now wanted to bang his head against the wall….

* * *

**AN:** The description of Shepard's rifle was found here: http:// masseffect. wickia. com /wiki /Sniper_Rifles (Take out the spaces to get to the link)

Well, I finally got this chapter done…took me too long to do it, though… .:grumbles:. Anyway, this was more of a filler chapter and a little insight from River. The small trip down memory lane for Shepard showed who I chose for her love interest in ME2. And if anyone could tell me what 'big brother' is in Mandarin, that would be great…^_^

I just want to thank everyone who has reviewed, and put this story on their alerts/favorites. You guys are all great!

To EternityInYourArms: Thanks for the PM…it did help me decide between Jayne and Mal and that helped me finish this chapter…^_^

****

Words used:

__

Dong ma?

– understand?  
_Xie biao zi_ – demonic whore  
_feifei de piyan_ – baboon's ass-crack  
_Qu ni de_ – screw you  
_Chuin-zi_ – moron  
_Jieh-jieh_ – big sister  
_Mei-mei_ – little sister 


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer**: Mass Effect is owned by Bioware and Microsoft. Firefly is owned by Joss Whedon.

**AN**: Just a note saying that this chapter is Kaiden-oriented. He deserves a little time in the spotlight.

'_Thinking to oneself._'

Mind-speak between Shepard, Alenko, and River

* * *

**Edge of Heaven**

**Chapter 4**

Kaiden chuckled softly when he overheard the conversation between River and Shepard, knowing that the girl's puppydog look does get to him most of the time. She was like a little sister to him now after only knowing her for a few short days. Glancing around for a moment, he made sure that no one was around as he turned on his omni-tool. He used it to scan the cortex and download some new data concerning this particular ship and crew.

'_Interesting_,' he thought to himself as he transferred the new data to the ship's onboard system. It was a heck of a lot faster using the omni-tool than just using the cortex alone. He had hacked into this 'Verse's Alliance and looked up information on the crew.

'_I should show this to Shepard. She would be interested to know that Reynolds fought for the Browncoats in this Unification War and that Zoe was his second_.' He tapped a few keys on the keyboard and then watched the display. "So far so good," he muttered to himself as he settled in the pilot's chair.

"How much longer to Kerry?" Zoe asked as she walked up the stairs and crossed her arms across her chest.

Alenko turned around in the seat after pushing a couple of buttons. "Well, I charted a course that should keep us from the prying eyes of the Alliance," he began, "so we should arrive in a little less than ten hours now. The captain was already up here and he knows."

The tall woman eyed the other man for a little bit. He was okay and he didn't make bad jokes and comments like Wash used to do. But he seemed to be almost the by-the-books type of guy. She then walked over to the co-pilot's seat and sat down.

"Mind some company, Alenko?" she asked.

The Sentinel shrugged as he leaned back into his chair and put his hands behind in head for a bit. "I don't mind. It's nice to have a body here to share the space…er, I mean someone to talk to, not like I would like to share your body. Oh crap, that's not what I meant…" He smacked his face with his palm.

Zoe smirked a bit. It was fun to see this man a little flustered and chuckled softly. "At ease, soldier," she said and noticed that Alenko had actually relaxed a bit at her command, albeit unconsciously. "I would like to ask a few questions is all. We never did get a chance for that since you and Shepard came aboard."

Kaiden sighed a bit and shrugged his shoulders again. "I don't see why not, but just remember there are things that I just can't, and probably won't, answer."

"Understood." _Serenity's_ SIC thought for a moment. "How did you receive training for this biotics that you and Shepard have?"

The pilot thought for a moment and had a pensive look on his face. "Shepard's training was different than mine, that's for sure. But all I can say is that the company that trained me and a few other kids is no longer in existence. Especially after a few kids died and the death of the training commander."

"I'm surprised that this didn't make it onto the cortex," Zoe commented, a little surprised by his admission.

"As you know, the Alliance wouldn't let anything like that get out." He knew that even this 'Verse's Alliance would NOT let anything like what happened with Conatix and Commander Vyrrnus out. "It would be bad publicity, so they shut that company down and offered a settlement to the survivors. IF they keep their mouths shut."

"And I'm guessing that you kept your mouth shut." He nodded and then Zoe noticed when the other man bent his head forward and rubbed the base of his skull. It almost looked like he was having some sort of headache. "Are you okay?"

"It's nothing," Kaiden lied, his eyes closing from the oncoming migraine. "I've had this problem since the training."

"It don't look like nothing," she stated as she stood up and went over to him. "Here, let me help you with that."

"NO!" Kaiden cried out, pushing her hands away from him. His face became slightly red, and then he looked away. He didn't want her to see the part where his implant would be slotted into. That and when he has these migraines, a simple touch can make him accidentally read another's mind with ease.

Zoe felt her anger grow. All she was trying to do was help the man with his headache. "What the hell, Alenko? I was just trying to help."

"Look, ma'am, I appreciate the thought," the dark haired man groaned out, rubbing his temples now, "but these migraines…they sometimes make me lose a little control. Skin to skin contact…I don't want to see your mind, not without your permission."

"_Shenme_? I don't understand."

Alenko closed his eyes for a moment before looking up at Zoe. "Skin to skin contact for a 'reader' makes looking into another person's mind much easier. If you had done what you intended to do, I would have known all of your secrets within seconds. All this because of those damn migraines and those damn experiments… Shepard doesn't have this problem, thank god."

Zoe finally understood. All the times she had seen him these past few days, he always kept himself under tight control, so sure of himself. She took a few steps back and started to go down the stairs. "I think… I think that's all the questions for now, Alenko."

"Yes and thank you, ma'am." He just couldn't call her by her given name or even by her married name. It just didn't seem right, for some odd reason.

Before she started to go down the stairs and to her bunk, Zoe turned around. "Instead of Jayne, we're taking Shepard with us to get the cargo. And since she's a reader like River, Mal figures that she would know if something's up."

Kaiden groaned, and this time not from the migraine. "Dear lord…Unless both you and the captain are incapacitated, do NOT, I repeat, do NOT let Shepard drive the Mule. And make sure she leaves 'Jessie' behind. Her pistol and hand cannon should be fine. And NO grenades."

"'Jessie'?" Zoe asked, already knowing the answer. "Don't tell me, she names her weapons…" She shook her head in amusement as she headed to her bunk to get at least a few hours of sleep. She didn't see a certain dark eyed male watch her leave before turning his attention back to the console.

* * *

Kaiden had brought _Serenity_ into dock at the main spaceport on Kerry and walked down to the cargo bay to help with the Mule. He shook his head at the argument Shepard and Mal were having about who was going to drive. He was about to step in to stop the arguing when Zoe approached them.

"I'm driving and that's that," she told her captain and Shepard in a no-nonsense tone as she got into the Mule and started going through the switches. That shut the arguing pair up, leaving Mal to sit in the seat next to Zoe, forcing the now pouting former Spectre to sit in the back.

The look on her face made Kaiden laugh out loud and grin at his sister. He pushed the switch that opened the cargo bay door and laughed a little more and Hana's disgruntled look.

"Why can't I drive?" Shepard grumbled loudly as she zipped up a black jacket she was wearing and holstered her pistols.

"Because you would crash it the first chance you get!" Kaiden called out, making everyone in the cargo hold laugh. The Spectre let out a string of curses, some of which he was certain was in the turian language. His good mood and smile left as soon as the Mule was out of sight. He caught the relieved gaze on Simon's face and Kaiden knew that it was because River didn't go with them. He walked over to the doctor and made a motion that he wanted to speak with him. Maybe he would have something good to help deal with the migraines.

"What do you want?" Simon asked, still a little wary of the slightly taller man. He motioned the Sentinel to follow him into the medical bay.

"I've been plagued with migraines for a long time and I had a bad episode last night," Kaiden explained as he sat in the examination chair.

The young doctor hmm'd and took out a couple of medical tools. "Do you know why this keeps happening?" he asked Alenko as he used a penlight to check the other's eyes. He then made the biotic lean forward so he could check out the back of his head. He used his fingertips to probe the older man's skull.

"My god, what is that?" Simon gasped as he felt something like a slot hidden by black hair.

"Something that helps me maintain control over my biotics," Kaiden answered bitterly. "At least Shepard's implant doesn't give her migraines. And we just don't have the right materials to make a new implant for me." '_At least not in this 'Verse_.'

Simon was startled by the confession. Kaiden Alenko always seemed to be in control of himself during all the times he observed the older man. And once, River told him that Shepard and Alenko were broken like her.

"Unless you can make that…implant…I'll give you a painkiller for now to help with the pain," the doctor declared as he got some pills for the Sentinel to take. "Here, swallow two of these now and two more before you get some sleep. If you want, I can inject you something that would numb the area where your implant is. Maybe that would help with the migraines."

Kaiden shook his head as he took the pills and dry swallowed two of them. "No, I've tried that before with my old doctor. All it did was knock me out for five hours. Just give me some painkillers whenever I need them. These aren't narcotic, are they?"

Simon shook his head. "No, they're not. I wouldn't risk having narcotics on board what with Jayne here."

The older man chuckled for a moment and sighed. "I will say that those pills work fast. The pain is starting to disappear." He then had a thoughtful expression on his face as something seemed to click. "Doctor Tam, have you…ever scanned River's brain?"

"Uh…well… yes," Simon answered hesitantly, wondering where this was leading.

"Can you let me see those scans? I have a funny feeling on what those people were probably trying to do with River."

* * *

It had been two hours since Mal, Zoe and Shepard left to go pick up the cargo and Kaiden was studying the scans that Simon had taken of River's brain. It was clear to him that removing the girl's amygdala was one of the worst things he had ever seen. This Blue Sun Corporation seemed to be very similar to Cerberus of his 'Verse, with having brutal experiments on humans. He then noticed something on the scan near the base of the brain. He was about to get the doctor's attention when he heard the Mule enter the cargo bay. He took in a deep breath and discretely made a copy of the scans with his omni-tool when Simon wasn't looking. He needed to show these to Shepard.

Kaiden left the med-bay with Simon and saw that the cargo was pulled behind the vehicle and the crates appeared to be heavy. For some reason, he felt a tingle in the back of his head when he got closer to the crates.

"I don't like this," he muttered as River came over to him and looked at the crates as well.

"They give me a prickle in my mind. They are tainted with the lies of men. But also, they can help the Spectre and the Sentinel. This is proof, _ge-ge_." River's remark made Kaiden turn to look at the young teen.

"There's only one thing…that sets me off like that, River," he said quietly, watching Jayne pitch in to help with the now obvious heavy crates. "And what did you call me?"

River now sported a mysterious smile. "I called you _ge-ge_. You're like Simon, a big brother. The Sentinel is now my brother."

Alenko just shook his head and smiled. "I guess then you really are a little sister." He then walked over to help Jayne and Mal move the crates off of the trailer they were on. The six of them, including Shepard, Zoe, Kaylee and Simon, had a very hard time in moving the crates. When they managed to get three of the ten large crates unloaded, a frustrated Shepard walked away a bit from the cargo.

"This is taking too goddamned long!" she exclaimed loudly. Suddenly, a dark aura of purple and blue surrounded her as she raised her hand. Using her Pull ability, she biotically lifted the remaining crates from the trailer and stacked them neatly off to the side. The aura faded away as the auburn haired woman made sure she had her pistols holstered and started to walk up the metal stairs.

"If anyone needs me, I'm going to fix something to eat. Doing lifting like that always makes me hungry." Shepard then disappeared through a doorway, leaving behind a stunned crew, with the exception of Alenko and River.

"Zoe, remind me to never piss that woman off," Mal stated as he finally regained his senses after being shocked like that.

"I could, sir, but you're going to do that anyway, whether you mean to or not," his SIC answered as she started to help Kaylee put the Mule back up in its space.

Jayne just shrugged as he helped the two women by putting the trailer off to the side. He was right, he was thinking to himself, that Shepard could really kick his ass if she wanted. This was another incident that he was starting to call S.E.E. or otherwise known as the Shepard Effect Event. And he was sure that this was not going to be last time that a S.E.E. would happen.

* * *

A few hours later after they left the planet Kerry, Mal decided to go check on the cargo. There was something about it that was leaving the captain uneasy. He walked onto the catwalk that overlooked the cargo bay and noticed that Shepard was there, staring at the crates intensely.

"Hana, what are you doing?" Kaiden asked while entering the cargo bay from the med-bay. He had sensed that she was feeling unsettled with the cargo they were transporting.

Shepard placed a hand on the crate and the glow of biotic power shimmered for a moment before disappearing. "Shit, this isn't good, Kaiden. Go, use your biotics and feel what's inside these crates."

The Sentinel did as she said and his eyes widened. "Is this what I think it is? You don't think…"

The former Spectre nodded. "Yeah. And I think you should go on the cortex and find out where this shipment is really headed. You're better at hacking and decryption than I am."

"Aye aye, Commander," Alenko saluted, unconsciously reverting back to soldier-mode. "I just hope that this Alliance isn't the one that's getting this cargo."

Shepard closed her eyes and sighed as her brother left to go back to the bridge. "Element Zero…enough to power a drive core, or a mass accelerator weapon. Damn it, what the hell is going on here?" she asked herself out loud before heading to her room in the passenger dorm, unknowingly leaving behind a confused Captain Reynolds, who decided that he better get some answers to the hundreds of questions running through his mind…

Meanwhile, River was in her room, whistling a small little tune that would have sounded familiar to Alenko and Shepard. "The lies of men will be taken down by the Spectre and the Sentinel and the Hands of Blue will climb the highest tower before falling in front of _jieh-jieh_… the savior of one 'Verse will be the savior of this one. The Leaves are starting to follow a new Wind..."

**

* * *

**

**AN**: Well… I didn't think that I would actually get a new chapter for this story as quickly as this. I guess that I was inspired…^_^ I have the reviews from _EternityInYourArms_ and _Jelfia Maleak_ to thank for that. Anyway, things are going to become a little more serious. Any romance still won't be happening right away as well, but I think that hints of romance have been sown.

_EternityInYourArms_: I'll be sending you a PM in a few days. There's something I need to work out…^_^

_Jelfia Maleak_: Jayne and Shepard's interaction was fun to write, that's for sure. As for Alenko and Zoe…the seeds have been planted…XD

**Words used**:

_Shenme?_ – what?/excuse me?

_Jieh-jieh_ – big sister

_Ge-ge_ – big brother


	6. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer**: Mass Effect is owned by Bioware and Microsoft. Firefly is owned by Joss Whedon.

'_Thinking to oneself._'

_Mind-speak between Shepard, Alenko, and River_

**Edge of Heaven**

**Chapter 5**

Mal was sitting in the pilot's chair, watching the stars as the ship was on its way to Beaumonde. Kaiden had taken the last two pain pills and this time, they made him drowsy, so the captain took over. It was okay, though, because it gave Mal time to think.

He was thinking about the previous day's events. He realized that his two new crewmembers were a little more than skittish about the cargo they were hauling for Badger. '_What the hell is this Element Zero Shepard was talkin' about?_' he thought. '_It has to be something not good judging by her and Alenko's actions._'

Mal looked at the dinosaur figurines that were on the console and he chuckled slightly, remembering how Wash used to play with them. That was when he noticed a model of what was apparently a ship hanging off to the right. It was a strange design but it was very sleek and had an elegance to it that he couldn't quite place. Gingerly, he took it down and studied it closely. It had a strange symbol on the front and on other parts of the body. He then saw the letters formed what looked like the name…_Normandy SR-2_.

"Nice ship," he said, "but too bad it's just a model. Nothin' like that can exist." He then hung it back in its original position. Coming to a decision, Mal got up from the pilot's chair and was about to go towards the common room when River approached.

"Good morning, Captain Daddy," she grinned as she flounced into the co-pilot's chair. "Simon gave _ge-ge_ stuff to take his demons away. He dreams of a broken past while _jieh-jieh_ dreams of things that belong to another time."

"_Gou huangtang_, albatross," Mal stated irritably. "So you gonna take watch for now?"

River nodded as she made herself comfortable in the chair. "_Jieh-jieh_ cooked breakfast and it's really good. I already ate and you should too."

Mal snorted and rolled his eyes. He really didn't think that Shepard would be any good at cooking. "Yeah, as long as I don't die from poisoning," he mocked as he went down the stairs into the kitchen/common room. The smell coming from there was actually appealing and what he saw on the table was a surprise.

"Are those…" Mal began, his mouth widening a bit, as he sat down at the head of the table.

"Real scrambled eggs, made from scratch biscuits and real bacon," came Shepard's answer. She turned to look at the ship's captain, his mouth wide open in surprise. "I've been saving these for my turn to cook." She dished up some of the scrambled eggs, bacon and a couple of biscuits on a plate. She then put the plate in front of Mal none too gently.

He stared at the food for a moment before looking up at the former Spectre, her arms crossed across her chest. She was dressed in a pair of black form-fitting sweatpants and a short sleeved t-shirt that just hung loosely over her athletic frame. It looked like she had finished with some exercises, Mal mused silently as he took his first bite of the eggs. He closed his eyes as he savored the taste of real food, not that protein mash that they usually had to eat every day. He wondered where the real food came from.

"In case you're wondering, Kaiden and I brought in some fresh supplies when we first came aboard," Shepard answered his unspoken question and then rolled her eyes at the glare she got from the captain. "And no, I did NOT read your mind, Reynolds. I have more honor than that." Suddenly, a wicked gleam entered the woman's eyes as she smirked at the man eating breakfast.

"Besides…you haven't pissed me off that much…yet."

Mal groaned mentally as he fixed Shepard with another glare. "And what does THAT mean, Shepard?"

"What it means is that you don't have to worry about pranks. For now, anyway," Kaiden answered wearily, rubbing his temples. It was something that most everyone on the ship had noticed by now. He made his way over to the table as his adoptive sister gently placed a plate of food in front of his.

"Eat up, Kaiden, Doctor Tam told you to eat some food with those pain pills he gave you," the auburn haired woman admonished gently. A small biotic glow came from her hands as she temporarily eased his brother's migraine.

A few minutes later, the rest of the crew of _Serenity_ appeared and sat down to eat the breakfast Shepard made. She had already eaten and was content to watch the crew eat real food for a change. It reminded her of the days back on Mindoir before the attack by batarian slavers.

_A young girl of eight gave the people entering the kitchen a huge smile. "Papa, Kaasan, I hope you like the pancakes."_

_The woman who first sat down smiled at her daughter. "It smells wonderful, aijou. And it looks like you made enough for all the farmhands as well."_

"_But of course, Kaasan. If I'm gonna run this farm when I get older, I hafta take care of who works for us."_

"_That's my little _coinín_," the man who was the father remarked as he ruffled the girl's short, auburn hair. He smiled at his wife and then sat down and started eating the pancakes on the plate in front of him. "When you get all this cleaned up, daughter, I'll need your help to break in that new yearling colt we got the other day."_

"Hello, Shepard, anyone home?" Kaylee asked as she waved a hand in front of the former Spectre. This caused the older woman to blink for a moment and realized that everyone was staring at her.

"Uh...did I miss something?" she asked, slightly confused by the curious stares she was getting from everyone, with the exception of Kaiden.

"What does _aijou_ mean?" Kaylee asked, the mechanic's eyes sparkling with curiosity. "You seemed to be off in some faraway place and was speakin' in a couple of languages."

Shepard wanted to smack her hand on her forehead. She never had lapsed into her memories like that before. The crew of _Serenity_ and the ship itself must be growing on her if she relaxed her guard like that so much. But she still came to the conclusion that no one would believe that they are from another universe entirely. So, she decided to tell them some things that are the truth...well, mostly the truth. She reached behind her head in a slightly nervous manner and looked away.

"On my home colony, my parents were farmers and had a huge homestead. Kaasan was of Japanese descent and Papa had some old Irish in him. That explains my eyes and my hair color. I was their only child so I was being taught how to run the farm." She looked down at the floor as she crossed her arms. "Both of them believed in teaching me their respective languages, Japanese and Gaelic. So, in answer to your question, Kaylee, _aijou_ means 'beloved daughter'."

"So you were born in one of the Rim colonies?" Zoe asked, her own curiosity being piqued. Their newest hired gun, along with their new pilot, were still a mystery to the SIC.

Shepard shrugged. "I suppose you can say that." After that, it became apparent that the woman wasn't going to talk about anything else. She had gone over to Kaiden and nudged his shoulder a bit. "Kaiden, go get some rest. River is piloting _Serenity_ right now. She told me to tell you that the past may be broken, but the future can always mend what was broken."

"If it was only that easy," the biotic muttered as he stood up and went towards his bunk, rubbing his temples again.

The auburn haired woman watched her brother disappear through the doorway and then started to clear the table of the empty dishes and cups. She brought them over to the sink to start washing the dishes. Shepard could tell that almost everyone had left the area, going to their own bunks or whatever duties each person had to do that day.

"You wash, I'll dry," Simon responded as he started to dry some of the dishes. "It would give me a chance to ask some questions."

Shepard scowled for a moment and gritted her teeth. Granted, she liked Simon and he does mean well when it came to treating his sister, River, and Kaiden…but…. He could be too damn nosy at times and it got on her nerves.

"I'll answer what I can, Doc," she replied, putting on a fake smile knowing full well that the young man could tell that it was fake.

The young doctor sighed as he dried some of the utensils. Lately, trying to get the woman alone so he could ask more questions about biotics was nearly impossible. Shepard had taken to helping Kaylee with the engine after she did the physical training with River. And not to mention the daily arguments she had with Jayne on the finer subjects of what weapon would be best to use in hypothetical situations. The two would never shut up unless someone comes to physically stop the shouting; that person was usually the captain and it would put Mal in a seriously foul mood for the rest of the day.

Simon thought for a moment, trying to think of the best way to carefully word his question. He desperately wanted an answer, but he also knew that if worded poorly, he wouldn't get any answers at all.

"How does one get biotics?" he asked cautiously, watching the older woman closely. "Are you born with the ability?"

The Spectre closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. When she reopened her eyes, Simon almost took a step back. There was a coldness in them and he could have sworn that he saw a flash of red before the woman turned her attention back to the dishes.

"A person could be born with the ability, but he would have to have been exposed to a rare element while in the mother's womb," she explained. "It isn't a naturally occurring process among humans."

Upon hearing that, Simon was quite surprised. '_So biotics was not a naturally occurring mutation_,' he thought to himself. But the woman's next words chilled him to the bone.

"However, if one has already been born with special talents, like I suspect River was and you, to a lesser extent, exposure to that rare element can bring about great changes."

Shepard finished cleaning the rest of the dishes and kept an eye on the young doctor's face. She could see the varied emotions flickering in his eyes. Realization dawned on Simon's face and Shepard nodded.

"Whoever experimented on River exposed her to this element you keep referring to," Simon realized. He quickly finished drying the rest of the dishes and motioned for the older woman to follow him. He saw the curious look on her face and answered. "Some time ago, we were on Ariel and we sneaked River into a hospital. I needed to scan her brain to see if there was a better way to treat her outbursts. I made a copy of the scans…I would like to show them to you and get your opinion."

Shepard crossed her arms across her chest. "I'm not a doctor, Tam. So I don't know what sort of input I would be able to give you." '_I know that Kaiden made copies of your scans but he still hasn't showed them to me_,' she thought as she observed the young man take in a deep breath and sigh.

"I know that, Shepard. But maybe you can see something that I didn't notice when I study the scans. Don't you want to help River? She does call you her big sister, you know."

When she groaned loudly, the doctor knew that he had won. He had begun to suspect that Shepard probably thought of River like a little sister. A slight smirk graced his features when she scowled at him.

"Fine, show those damn scans to me." Shepard followed the doctor down to the med-bay.

About twenty minutes later, the Spectre had to keep taking in deep breaths in order to keep calm and not hit the bulkhead with a biotically enhanced punch. The scans taken of River's brain made the woman want to kill the people who did that to the young girl.

"They…mangled River's brain, removed parts that they shouldn't have…those aren't people. They're damned monsters!" Shepard exclaimed as she kept staring at the scans. She zoomed in on the base of the image and started to curse.

Simon looked at the scan and then at the woman. "Is something the matter?" The language Shepard cursed in did not sound like one that he's heard before…it almost sounded…alien…

Shepard pointed out to what appeared to be a slot in the base of the brain in the image. "See that spot?" she asked and waited for Simon to nodded before continuing. "That is where a biotic implant is suppose to go, Tam. But as you can see, she doesn't even HAVE an implant. Those implants are suppose to help control biotic abilities. So why wire her up for an implant and not put one in? Coupled with the fact that her missing amygdala and no implant, it's no wonder that River is the way she is."

"I…I'm guessing that's bad," the young man remarked quietly.

The auburn-haired woman nodded. "Yes…it's amazing that River is not more mentally unstable than she already is. From what I remember what my old doctor told me about biotics," she then pointed to a couple of regions of the brain that were blue in color, "if your sister doesn't get an implant soon, her current control over her abilities will deteriorate. No amount of drug combinations you can come up with will stop that."

"Is there any way to get an implant? Alenko told me earlier that he needed a new one, but you don't have the materials to make one."

"That's right, we just don't have the materials to make an implant." Shepard perused the scan again and then turned to look at Simon once again. "Tell me, what's the name of the people who did this to River."

"It's the Blue Sun Corporation. They have their hands in everything from everyday foodstuffs to space ships. Actually, they have some factories on Beaumonde."

"Really…" Shepard began to think, the commander in her starting to come out. "Kaiden hacked into the cortex after we left Kerry to find out where the cargo is eventually going. Blue Sun is the final destination. That means they know about eezo and what effects it can have on organics. River is the proof."

"I don't like the sound of that, Shepard. What can we do about it?" Simon looked into Shepard's eyes and saw a hardened resolve within their depths.

"What I'm about to say, you CANNOT tell Reynolds, Zoe, Kaylee and Jayne. Especially if it can help River. She's a sweet girl and is like a sister to me."

The young doctor nodded and had the strange urge to salute the woman in front of him. "Of course, Shepard. I'll do anything to help my sister. ANYTHING."

Shepard's smile was slightly unnerving. "Good…once we get to Beaumonde, this is what we have to do…"

**XXXX**

They had just arrived at the docks on Beaumonde and both Jayne and Shepard were putting the crates onto the trailer. Well, Shepard was doing most of the work using her biotics to move the heavy crates while Jayne was directing where on the trailer to put them. The both of them were insulting one another, disparaging the other's shooting ability. To any outsider watching them, they would think that they hated each other. In actuality, they respected each other enough to not hurt the other.

When they finished with the crates, Mal inspected the trailer for a moment and then opened the door to the cargo bay. Zoe maneuvered the Mule and began to hitch up the trailer to the hovercraft. Once that was done, Mal motioned for Jayne to go up into the vehicle. He glanced at the rest of the crew that had gathered in the cargo bay.

"Okay, this is how it's gonna go," Mal began, looking at the crew, his gaze lingering for a moment on Shepard. He glared at her when she childishly stuck her tongue out at him and then continued. "Jayne and I are meetin' up with Badger's client in the warehouse district. We should be back in a couple of hours with some cashy money. With that in mind, Kaylee, you go look for some parts that we need from the junkyard." The ship's mechanic pouted, mumbling something about how it would be better to have brand new parts. "Zoe, I need you to get _Serenity_ all fueled up all proper and get some foodstuffs." The tall dark-skinned woman nodded.

Shepard tilted her head to one side, looking up at the captain curiously. "What do you want me and Kaiden to do?"

Mal scratched his head for a moment and shrugged. "With River aboard, I know that _Serenity_ is protected. She won't let anything happen to my baby." He then looked around the cargo bay, a small smile on his face before looking back at the woman. "As long as the two of ya don't cause a fight, I don't care what you do."

Kaiden looked up and nodded before glancing at his adoptive sister. "And Hana, that means no shooting perverts in the kneecaps."

The Spectre pouted, her bottom lip sticking out a bit. "But those assholes back on Persephone deserved it. They thought I was a whore, for spirits sake!"

That caused Jayne to burst out laughing. "That _hundan_ must have been blind to mistake you fer a whore," the merc called out, still laughing. "You have a bigger pair than most men, Shepard!"

Shepard's hand started to have a purplish-blue glow to it. "Say that again, Cobb, and I'll beat you to death with your own spine!"

The merc just kept laughing as Mal drove the Mule out from the cargo bay and headed to their destination. Shaking her head, Zoe left the ship with Kaylee following her, the two of them out to do what was asked of them. Once they were out of sight, Kaiden, Shepard and Simon turned to one another.

"Simon, if Kaiden and I aren't back by the time everyone else is, tell Reynolds the story we worked out…something about we wanted to check out some of the shopping and probably lost track of time." Shepard then handed a strange looking device and attached it to Simon's left arm. She tapped a button on it, making a holographic interface show up. "Here's the spare omni-tool that I told you about. You can keep it, but don't show it to anyone, not even Kaylee." She saw the look on the young man's face and shook her head. "This is technology that she isn't prepared to deal with yet, despite her genius with engines. See this part? This is where messages stored and this is how to send messages. We'll keep you updated on our progress."

_Jieh-jieh, you and ge-ge be careful_ River thought to Kaiden and Shepard. _The Spectre and the Sentinel will show the 'Verse that NOTHING can stop them._

Alenko chuckled for a moment while Shepard smiled. "River just told us to be careful," the woman explained when Simon stared at them.

He smiled at the two 'siblings'. The look on the doctor's face became serious. "I agree with River," he remarked as he placed a hand on Shepard's shoulder. "The both of you be careful, Shepard. I don't want to lose a new sister and brother."

Shepard gave Simon a soft smile and nodded. "We will, Simon. And Simon," she started as she gave the young man a gentle hug. "Call me Hana."

**

* * *

**

**AN**: And here is the latest chapter…^_^ Sorry it took nearly a month for it to come out. I had been having issues with my keyboard. The spacebar didn't want to work and having to hit the 'f' key repeatedly to get it to work wasn't conducive to typing…:chuckles:.

Anyway, this is the start of the first major arc in the story. It should last at least two to three chapters. It will involve the Blue Sun Corporation, what they did to River and what Shepard will do. There will also be more flashbacks from Shepard's past life on Mindoir and Garrus.

**Easter Egg alert! **The first person to tell me where I got Shepard's line of beating Jayne to death with his spine will get a cameo...XD

**Reviews**

_Jelfia Maleak_: I do plan on taking the romance slow…^_^ I will say that at the end of this new story arc, there will some attraction between Zoe and Alenko, and Mal…well, Mal will just be Mal…XD

Thanks to the following who faved, and/or added this story into their alerts…^_^:  
_Amblin-12, Morat20, The Fanfic Stealer, Forty Two42, and Breitve_

And _WitchWeaver_, your PMs made my day…^_^

**WORDS USED**:

_Jieh-jieh_ – big sister  
_Ge-ge_ – big brother  
_Hundan_ – bastard  
_Gou huangtang_ – Enough of this nonsense  
_Aijou_ – Japanese for 'beloved daughter'  
_Kaasan_ – Japanese for 'mother'  
_Coinín_ – Irish gaelic for 'rabbit'


	7. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer**: Mass Effect is owned by EA/Bioware. Firefly is owned by Joss Whedon.

'_Thinking to oneself._'

This is _'mind-speak' _between Shepard, Alenko, and River

**AN**: This is just a quick note to say that Inara will be finally making an appearance. Also this is the beginning of the Blue Sun Corporation Story Arc. And there will be a surprise…

**Edge of Heaven**

**Chapter 6**

Shepard stared up at the rather large building off in the distance that had the logo of the Blue Sun Corporation on the roof. She had a strange feeling begin to well up in her chest and she squashed it down quickly. It was the same sensation she felt years ago on Elysium right before the attack let by Elanos Haliat, the pirate/slaver from the Terminus Systems. She needed to keep her focus on the here and now, not one the happenings of the past. She looked around to make sure that the authorities did not see her slip into a dark alley.

Silently, the biotic crept through the refuse in the alley, making sure that she didn't step on anything that would make a lot of noise. A couple of minutes later, she focused her eyes on a male figure standing in the shadows. She nodded at the man and they both proceeded to enter another busy street, adjusting the rather large duffel bags they were carrying. They pretended to look at the some of the wares the vendors on the street were offering while glancing at their objective.

"Hana, I just got a message from Simon. He said that the captain was having a little difficulty in negotiating with the client. That means we have probably at least another fifteen minutes added to our time," Kaiden stated as he looked at a shirt that had an interesting pattern on it and in a rather bright shade of orange. He discretely asked the vendor the price.

Shepard sighed and shook her head. "No. We keep to the original timetable, Kaiden. And for the love of…You ARE NOT buying that shirt!" She grabbed the shirt and none too gently slammed it on the vendor's counter. "What are you? Colorblind? Hawaiian shirts are only good in one place…the trash!"

The Sentinel glared at the woman and sighed. "It looked comfortable. But you're right, we should keep to our original plan." He glanced a little wistfully at the shirt as the two walked away, letting the vendor curse in Mandarin after them. They ended up at a public transport depot and took a transit vehicle close to their objective.

A little while later, the duo dipped into another alleyway, carefully setting their bags on the ground. Shepard opened her bag and took out a suit of black armor and weapons and glanced at her adoptive brother. He was doing the same with his own bag and within five minutes, both of them had donned their armor and holstered their weapons.

"This isn't going to be easy, ma'am," Kaiden replied as he checked his Carnifax hand cannon and holstered it to his side.

Shepard turned to look at the Sentinel and nodded. "I know, Kaiden." She strapped her Locust SMG and her Carnifax to the side and slipped 'Jessie', her sniper rifle, onto its slot on her back. "But we need to find out how and why this Blue Sun has eezo. And how they connect themselves to River. I don't think we're going to like what we find."

Kaiden nodded as the pair slipped in and out of the back alleyways, keeping out of sight of the civilians and the local law enforcement. They closed in on the gate that kept people away from the Blue Sun Corporation's massive building. It was an extremely tall skyscraper that would appear intimidating to normal people. However, Shepard and Alenko were not normal people by any stretch.

"Doesn't look much in the way of security but looks can be deceiving," the Sentinel remarked quietly as he activated his omni-tool. "I'm hacking into the security now. There's a small door to the side that we can enter. I deactivated the alarms at the door and we should be able to enter quietly."

Shepard nodded. She glanced over in the direction where the door was located and heaved a sigh. There was a heavily armed guard standing by the door. "Why can't we ever get normal missions?" she whined, adjusting the Sentry Interface headset/visor she was wearing.

The dark-haired man chuckled as his hand startle to glow. "Because that would make things boring, Commander." He sent a warp field at the guard, causing the target to stumble and fall to the ground, groaning loudly from pain.

Using a biotic charge, Shepard practically flew at the guard, knocking the man out. She motioned for her partner to follow. As he approached, she was about to deliver a punch at the downed guard. Alenko quickly grabbed her wrist before she could do any permanent damage to the unconscious man.

"Shepard, is that really necessary?" he hissed quietly at the commander as he pulled her away from the guard. "We don't need to kill the poor bastard."

Shepard turned to look at her adoptive brother, a hard look in her eyes. "If we don't kill him now, his superiors will probably kill for his incompetence once they realize what we will be doing to this place."

"Hana…this isn't you. Have you become so jaded that you would kill an innocent man? Don't let what happened to you dictate your actions."

The Spectre stood up and took a step away from the guard. "You're…right. Like always, you are right." She took in a deep breath and went to open the door. "But if we happen to run into any trouble, I won't promise not to kill anyone in there. Especially if they end up being just like Cerberus."

"Understood, ma'am." He checked his hand cannon for a moment and then checked his supply of thermal clips. "I think we should be careful with our shots. We don't have a lot of thermal clips left and we left a lot of them back on _Serenity_."

The auburn haired woman closed her eyes for a moment. "I guess that means we're going to have to use more biotics than guns." She opened the side door carefully, checking to see if there were more guards. She motioned with her hand, signaling for Alenko to follow. "I take point."

Kaiden nodded as he felt his biotics swirl inside of him. "And I got your six, ma'am."

**XXXX**

"Inara!" River exclaimed loudly, a big smile on the young woman's face. She ran up and gave the Companion a hug.

Simon came out of the med-bay and smiled at the older woman. "It's good to see you again, Inara."

The dark haired woman smiled gently at the two siblings as she released River from the hug. "It's good to see you as well, Simon, River. I didn't know that _Serenity_ was going to be here on Beaumonde this soon."

The young doctor shrugged his shoulders a bit. "Badger hired Mal to transport some cargo from Kerry to here. And he also hired a couple of new people."

River nodded sagely. "They are Shepard and the Brother. I like them."

Inara laughed softly and smiled again. "They must be something if you already like them, River. How long have they been on the ship?"

"They've been on board for nearly two weeks now," Simon answered, thinking for a moment. "They are…an interesting pair." He chuckled inwardly on some of the events that have happened since Shepard and Alenko came aboard.

Inara saw the smile on the young doctor's face and he seemed to be amused about something. She supposed that these newcomers were decent enough to even make the usually uptight doctor smile. "What are their names?"

"The older one is Kaiden Alenko and he's our new pilot," Simon answered. "And his sister, Hana Shepard, is another gunslinger. She's much more palatable than Jayne."

"Almost everyone is more palatable than Jayne." The dark haired woman thought for a moment and then caught on to something; the two new siblings don't share the same family name. "If they're brother and sister, then why do they have different surnames?"

"Their 'Verse had them adopt one another as brother and sister. They are Leaves and _Serenity_ is the Wind taking them where we all need to go." River smiled enigmatically at the older woman before going back up to the pilot's chair.

Inara laughed quietly, and smiled indulgently at Simon. "I see she still talks in riddles."

"That she does, but she's usually right," he admitted. "So, are you going to fly with us for a while?"

"Yes," the woman nodded. "And I have a friend here on Beaumonde who is interested in the piece of history we have on the ship. She's willing to pay top money for the Lassiter."

Simon's eyes widened a bit. "Didn't Mal tell you months ago that he didn't want you to get involved on that caper?"

Inara's eyes twinkled merrily. "True, however this friend of mine was planning on stealing it for herself. This saves her time, money, and she doesn't have to worry about being caught pilfering it. Not to mention, she knows how to get rid of the tracking devices on it."

"You…have a friend who is a thief," Simon stated blandly, his eyes staring at the Companion. "I would never have thought…"

"I have many friends, Simon." The older woman's eyes twinkled again. "You all don't know everything there is about me."

**XXXX**

Kaiden extended his arm and let out an overload that took out the security cameras on the floor. He was starting to get a little antsy; something about this place was starting to get to him. They searched the lower levels of the building and so far had managed to keep out of the eye of the company's security. He felt that something big was coming and he knew that Shepard was having the same sensations.

He followed his commander silently down the hallway, watching her carefully looking around the corners for something or someone. Suddenly, she held a finger to her lips, indicating that they stop and stay silent for the time being. Quietly, she opened a door and went in the dark room, Kaiden following her. As soon as he was inside, Shepard closed the door, leaving just a crack in order for them to hear anything coming down the corridor. A few seconds later, some footsteps could be heard, along with some hushed voices.

"I tell you, Stanfield, that Vanderstelt is a _feng le_ asshole."

"I know that, the brass knows that. Nevertheless, Bret is one of the best IT techs ever. He's earned the right to be that snarky."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…I know…but he COULD be a little nicer."

"And right now, the security programs have been acting really strange so it's no wonder that Bret is snarkier than usual. He takes pride in his programming…"

As the voices faded away, Shepard opened the door slowly, cautiously looking around to make sure no one was around. _So, the main security hub is on this floor_, she thought over to Alenko. A vicious smirk appeared on her face, making the Sentinel back up a little.

I don't like that look, Shepard. What are you planning? The look in the woman's dark eyes made Kaiden sigh. He knew that whatever his sister has planned means that trouble won't be too far behind.

_We find out where this IT tech is and make his life a living hell. It should give us more time to explore this place before their security realizes something is wrong._

_Tell me what you're going to do._

Shepard chuckled almost evilly. _Oh, let's just say that I remember some of the things that Sovereign and Harbinger had said to us._

Alenko groaned loudly, wanting to hit his head on the wall. _And this is one of the reasons why I'm glad we never would have worked out as a couple._

_You're just figuring that out now?_ Shepard smirked as she turned on her omni-tool. She tapped on the holographic display for a moment. _Okay, the security room is down this way. You hack into it while I mess with the poor sap's head. Hey, what floor are we on again? Oh, never mind, I remember…it's Floor 42._

The Sentinel shook his head in exasperation as he followed the woman down the hall. What was it again that made him follow her, even if it was to the bowels of hell itself? Right now, he couldn't remember because he was more concerned in keeping the two of them alive and return to their ship.

When they approached a set of doors that had a huge number 42 on it, Shepard peered into the room from the small window on the door. She noticed a solitary man sitting in front of a set of screens and a computer console. Smirking once more, she motioned for Kaiden to follow her to a utility room across the hallway. Once inside the darkened room, the pair turned on their omni-tools and went to work.

**XXXX**

Bret Vanderstelt was not happy, to put it mildly. The day started off okay, nothing major to report on the security of the facility. He really didn't like what went on at Blue Sun, but they paid him a great deal of money, enough to buy his silence. His latest security project was a few floors up. He was tasked to make sure that the subject was kept confined and watched at all times of the day and night.

"What the hell?" he exclaimed as the lights on his computer started to flash. He pressed a few buttons, trying to shut the lights off.

"_We are your salvation through destruction._"

A deep, menacing voice came through the loudspeakers in his room, startling the IT tech. What the heck?

"_You exist because we allow it. And you will end because we demand it!_"

"_Je shr shuh muh lan dong shi_?" Bret cried out, tapping away at his keyboard furiously. Was this an AI? Was this something that the idiot scientists were trying to create? Did it get loose?

"_I delete data like you on my way to real errors! I KILL people like you on my way to REAL problems_!"

Okay, the creepy mechanized voice was starting to freak Bret out. He stalked over to the doors of the room and opened it. "Whoever let loose a homicidal AI is going to get my boot up their ass!" he yelled out, leaving the security room in order to find the person, or persons, responsible for making his day a living hell.

**XXXX**

Once the IT tech was gone, Shepard let out a snort and was grinning maniacally. That was a lot of fun, messing with that guy's head. On the plus side, it distracted the man from seeing that the security grid for the entire facility went down thanks to Kaiden. On the down side…wait a moment, there wasn't a down side in her opinion.

"I hope you had your fun for the day, Shepard," Kaiden remarked dryly, shaking his head as they left the utility room.

"Oh, I'm not done yet, Alenko…not by a long shot." She looked around and motioned for her brother to follow her to a stairwell. Cautiously, the duo pulled out their Carnifax hand cannons as they slowly made their way up the stairs…

**XXXX**

Simon watched Inara go back into her shuttle, apparently to make herself ready for when Mal and the others return from their tasks. He went back into the med-bay and closed the door; he didn't want the Companion to accidentally catch him using the omni-tool Shepard had given him. He brought up the holographic display and stared at it for a moment in wonder. This technology was more advanced that what they currently had. It was still hard to believe that the two were not from this 'Verse, but the omni-tool seemed to offer proof of their claims.

He tapped in a message to Shepard and Alenko, letting them know about Inara. He didn't want them to be surprised with her presence. The auburn haired woman sometimes appeared to be quick on the trigger while her brother was more of a calming influence. The doctor knew that something happened between the two, but he wasn't about to pry. He had earned their trust and he wasn't about to mess that up. Especially since they are both willing to help River.

A minute later, Simon's omni-tool beeped, letting him know that he got a new message. He opened it and sighed. They were still in the Blue Sun facility, searching for evidence of that 'eezo' they had mentioned. He checked the time and sighed. They've been gone for an hour and he was afraid that Mal and Jayne would make it back before Shepard and Alenko. He turned off the omni-tool and left the med-bay; he felt that he needed to keep an eye out for the rest of the crew to return.

**XXXX**

"Lady Eternity, please," Inara stated in a firm voice, sitting in front of her computer screen. A few seconds later, a young woman wearing a hood appeared on the screen.

"Inara, it's good to get a wave from you," the woman on the other side said in a pleasant and cultured voice. "What can I do for you?"

"I know you have expressed interest in the Lassiter, Bethany. I'm going to approach Captain Reynolds when he returns and see if he would be willing to sell it to you."

The Companion knew that her contact and friend was probably surprised, but it was hard to tell because of the hood the other woman was wearing. Lady Eternity was the name Bethany went by so the authorities wouldn't know who to really look for.

"I hope he's willing to sell, Inara. I've wanted that piece of history for the longest time. It would go well on my mantle. If he agrees, tell him I'll pay him a hundred thousand credits."

Inara chuckled softly, smiling warmly at her friend. "I'll tell him, but be prepared to pay in platinum instead, though. Hard cash is the preferred mode of payment out on the Rim."

Lady Eternity nodded. "I know and I'm prepared to do that. You KNOW I go out to the Rim a lot. So many crooks go out there and it's fun to steal from them." The woman turned to look at something behind her back for a moment and returned to glance at Inara. "Anyway, I need to get going. I'm…'borrowing' someone else's cortex account at the moment. I'll send you a wave soon. It's good to see you again, my friend."

Inara shook her head in amusement as she shut down the screen. Lady Eternity was incorrigible, but was one of the best in her field. She stood up and walked out of the shuttle that also doubles as her quarters. She glanced down at the cargo bay floor and saw Simon pacing up and down the length of the bay. He seemed nervous about something, muttering silently to himself. She was about to go down the stairs to ask him what was wrong when Zoe walked up the ramp, pulling a small cart behind her.

"Is the captain back yet?" the tall black woman asked the doctor.

Simon shook his head. "No. Earlier, I got a message from him saying that the negotiations weren't going well with the client."

"Jayne probably had something to do with that," Zoe remarked.

"Mal does have a knack of getting into trouble easily," Inara stated, loud enough for Zoe to hear her.

The SIC laughed slightly and tipped her head in acknowledgement. "True. He sometimes doesn't know when to shut his mouth." She smiled at the dark haired woman. "It's good to see you back, Inara. Kaylee really missed you."

"And I missed her too," Inara replied, smiling gently. "She's such a sweetheart. Simon, you're lucky to have her."

The doctor blushed a moment, but smiled in return. "I am lucky to have her. She's the best thing to have happened to me."

"Aw, ain't that sweet of you to say!" Kaylee announced, running up to Simon and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "And guess what? I found some parts for _Serenity_ that are almost like new at the junkyard." She pointed to a rather heavy looking back filled with metal pieces and parts.

Zoe chuckled and then looked around. "Simon, where's Shepard and Alenko?"

The young man shifted nervously. He knew that he couldn't tell them what the two were doing, so he went along with what he was suppose to say in a situation like this.

"Oh, they had never been to Beaumonde before," he answered carefully. "Shepard said something about wanting to see what the shopping district was like."

**XXXX**

Shepard was swearing under her breath. They went up a few more levels in the building and still no signs of Element zero and no evidence of human experimentation. She KNEW that there was something here, but the time was starting to run out. And now, she had to use her biotics to knock out a few guards; Alenko had tied them up and put them away in an unused room.

The security on this floor was much stronger than the lower levels. There was something here, something that Blue Sun was protecting. It had to be huge with the amount of armed guards they have seen. The feeling she had earlier before they entered the building was getting stronger. She was sure that whatever they were looking for was ON this level. It just had to be.

_Commander, I'm getting some reports from the security detail through my headset. I'm going to hack into their power grid and turn the power off for this level._

Shepard nodded as she waited a moment and suddenly, the entire building went dark. Some alarms were going off and red emergency lights came on. Taking this as her cue, she turned a corner and stopped dead in her tracks. In front of her were at least five armed guards in front of a set of large double doors. As she was about to back up, one of the guards noticed the armored woman.

"Hey! You shouldn't be here!" the lead guard shouted. "Kill her!"

In the blink of an eye, Shepard let out a powerful biotic shockwave that knocked the men around, causing them to be knocked into the walls and ceiling rather hard. She pulled out her hand cannon and shot the guards once each in the head. She glanced over at Alenko when he appeared from around the corner as the power came back on.

"I had no choice," she said quietly, looking into her adoptive brother's dark brown eyes.

Kaiden placed a gloved hand on her shoulder as he put his pistol back in its holster. "I know, Hana, I know." He removed his hand and looked at the large doors. "There's an encryption routine in the locking mechanism. Shouldn't be hard to crack."

The Spectre nodded as she watched the man do his work. She pushed a button on her visor, scrutinizing the information running through the holographic display. It showed the current time and how much longer they had left for this 'mission'.

"Got it," the Sentinel remarked as the doors hissed and opened slowly.

Cautiously, the pair entered the room and looked around. Seeing no guards or anyone else, Shepard scanned the room for anything useful. She spotted a couple of computers and motioned to Alenko to follow her. "I'll check this computer and you check the other one," she ordered as she turned on her omni-tool. She began a download of all the information into her device when she noticed a set of windows to the side.

"What's this?" she muttered softly as she waited for her omni-tool to finish its download. When it beeped, signaling that the download was finished, she walked over to the windows. It was dark, and she could have sworn that there was a chair in there, a chair that looked very similar to the one on _Serenity_. She saw a switch near the windows and decided to turn it on.

"By the spirits!" Shepard gasped loudly; the sight beyond the windows made her eyes widen.

"Is something the matter?" Kaiden asked as he finished up the download from the other computer into his omni-tool.

"I thought we were the only ones from the _Normandy_ that were brought here. Look!" the Spectre said urgently, grabbing the Sentinel's arm and forcing him to look through the windows.

Kaiden's eyes went wide as his mouth opened in surprise. "Is that who I think it is?" he asked, spying the man that was strapped into the medical chair, apparently unconscious.

Shepard nodded. "Yeah. That's Engineer Donnelly. What the hell is he doing here?"

**

* * *

**

**AN**: Interesting twist, eh? I did say at the beginning of this chapter there will be a surprise…XD And thanks to _EternityInYourArms_ for helping me a bit with this chapter. I was unsure at first who was also brought into the Firefly 'Verse, and Kenneth Donnelly made much more sense.

Anyway, _EternityInYourArms_ and _Forty Two42_ caught the Easter egg that was in the previous chapter. Their answers were within about a minute of each other so they both got cameos in this chapter.

_EternityInYourArms_ – Lady Eternity AKA Bethany. She will be seen again in a later chapter.

_Forty Two42_ – Bret Vanderstelt, the IT tech at Blue Sun. Also, mentions of Floor 42 and room 42

**Reviews**

_Annara Ren_ – I'm glad that you think this story is interesting…^_^ Not TOO much action in this chapter, but things should start to heat up in the next one.

_Forty Two42_ – I hope you liked what I did for your character in this chapter…^_^

_FraserMage_ – Glad you liked that phrase. Mal may ask her about it later.

Thanks to the following who faved and/or added this story to their alerts…^_^:  
_theflyingfrogfish, FraserMage, Arandrell, Uppgreyedd, Phynxkin, Mandolarian Knight_

**Words Used**

_Feng le_ – crazy  
_Je shr shuh muh lan dong shi_? - What kind of rotten thing is this?


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